I’m moving to Silicon Valley. How do I plug into the startup scene?

QUESTION:

I’m moving from Chicago to Silicon Valley to take my startup to the next level. I want to hit the ground running. Aside from meeting with VCs, what can I do to find “the scene”? Are there particularly good cafes for meeting people, conferences, etc? — Richard, cofounder of TheLawyerMarket.com

Great question. Luckily, you’re moving to the right place. There’s an abundance of groups and activities in the Bay Area. Of course, I think our Founders Roundtables are a fun place to start, but they aren’t the only game in town.

Let’s begin with hip & happening cafes:

Northstar Cafe – made famous by the Dropbox gang

Ritual Coffee Roasters – Mochi Media’s hangout

The Summit – i/o Ventures land

901 Columbus Cafe – where Scribd scribbles

111 Minna Gallery – SF Beta’s home turf

Cafe Buon Giorno – Eventbrite’s cup of tea

Epicenter Cafe – Playkast’s fav spot!

And here’s a cheat sheet on how to get instantly plugged into the Silicon Valley scene: